Work and the Conservation of Energy Problem Set

Nirmaan Shanker

November 2015

This problem set will focus on primarily on applying the concepts of work and energy to problems. Do them to the
best of your ability (collaborate with others!) and please bring them to the next lecture (or the lecture after that)
if you have any questions. This problem set is long for the sake of providing a wide range of problems. Also do not
feel bad if you cannot solve all the questions, as some of the questions are genuinely difficult.

1. (Resnick) EASY A 250 g block is dropped onto a relaxed vertical spring that has a spring constant of k = 2.5
N/cm. The block becomes attached to the spring and compresses 12 cm before momentarily stopping. While
the spring is being compressed, what work is done on the block by (a) the gravitational force and (b) the spring
force. (c) What is the speed of the block just before it hits the spring? (d) If the speed of the block at impact
is doubled, what is the maximum compression of the spring?
2. (Resnick) EASY In the figure below, a spring k = 170 N/m is at the top of a frictionless incline of = 37
degrees. The lower end of the incline is distance D = 1.00 m from the end of the spring, which is at its relaxed
length. A 2.00 kg canister is pushed against the spring until the spring is compressed 0.200 m and released
from rest.
(a) What is the speed of the canister at the instant the spring returns to its relaxed length (which is when
the canister loses contact with the spring)?
(b) What is the speed of the canister when it reaches the lower end of the incline?

Figure 1

3. EASY A block of mass M slides down an incline of angle . The problem is to find the speed of the block after
it has descended through height h, assuming that it starts from rest and that there is a constant coefficient of
friction , while the block is sliding down the plane.
4. EASY A small object of mass m moves in a horizontal circle of radius r on a rough table. It is attached to
a horizontal string fixed at the center of the circle and starts moving in a circle with an initial velocity of v0 .
After completing one revolution, the object has a speed of v20 .

(a) Find the energy dissipated by friction during that revolution.

(b) What is the coefficient of kinetic friction?
(c) How many more revolutions will the object make before coming to rest?
Diagram Credits go to Ross Dempsey
Updated: December 5, 2015

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 5. (2008 F=ma #19) MEDIUM A car has an engine which delivers a constant power. It accelerates from rest
at time t = 0, and at t = t0 its acceleration is a0 . What is its acceleration at t = 2t0 ? Ignore energy loss due
to friction.
6. (2007 F=ma #19) MEDIUM A non-Hookian spring has force F = kx2 where k is the spring constant
and x is the displacement from its unstretched position. For the system shown of a mass m connected to an
unstretched spring initially at rest, how far does the spring extend before the system momentarily comes to
rest? Assume that all surfaces are frictionless and that the pulley is frictionless as well.

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Figure 2

7. MEDIUM A particle of mass m moves under the influence of the potential V (x) = Cxn ex . Find the
frequency of small oscillations around the equilibrium point. (Hint: View Section 7 of the corresponding lecture
notes 1 )
8. (Morin) HARD A bead, under the influence of gravity, slides down a frictionless wire whose height is given by
the function of y(x). Assume that at position (x, y) = (0, 0), the wire is vertical and the bead passes this point
with a given speed v0 downward. What should the shape of the wire be so that the vertical speed remains v0
at all times? Assume that the curve heads toward positive x.
9. (2008 Quarterfinal Exam #3) HARD A block of mass m slides on a circular track of radius r whose wall and
floor both have a coefficient of friction with the block. The floor lies in a horizontal plane and the wall is
vertical. The block is in constant contact with both the wall and the floor. The block has initial speed v0 .
dE
(a) Let the block have energy E after travelling through an angle . Derive an expression for d in terms of
g, r, , m, and E.
(b) Suppose the block circles the track exactly once before coming to a halt. Determine v0 in terms of g, r,
and .

Figure 3: The track extends around in a circle.

10. (2013 Semifinal Exam #B1) VERY HARD Shown below is the Blackbird, a vehicle built in 2009. There is
no source of stored energy such as a battery or gasoline engine; all of the power used to move the car comes
from the wind. The only important mechanism in the car is a gearbox that can transfer power between the
wheels and the propeller. The Blackbird was driven both directly downwind and directly upwind, as shown
below. In each case the car remained exactly parallel (or anti-parallel) to the wind without turning. The tests
were conducted on level ground, in steady, uniform wind, and continued long enough to reach the steady state.
When driving downwind, the builders claim that they were able to drive faster than the wind: that is, with
|v| > |vw |, so that the car experienced a relative headwind while traveling. Commenters on the Internet claimed,
often angrily, that this was physically impossible and that the Blackbird was a hoax. Some commenters also
claimed that the upwind case was physically impossible.

(a) Consider first the downwind faster than the wind case.
i. Is the motion actually possible as claimed?
ii. If the motion is possible, is power transferred from the propeller to the wheels, or vice versa?
1 The only reason this problem is here is because there was a similar, albeit easier problem, problem on an AP Physics Test in

2013-2014.

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 vw vw

v v

Figure 4: The blackbird was driven both downwind and upwind.

iii. If the motion is possible, what ground speed is attained? For this question, suppose that when
transferring power in either direction between the propeller and the wheels, a fraction of the useful
work is lost; let the wind speed be vw . Neglect all other losses of energy.
(b) Answer the previous question for the upwind case.